The state House of Representatives this week approved legislation to ensure access to COVID-19 vaccines for children in Rhode Island even if the Trump administration rolls back federal approvals.
The House voted 58-10 to approve a bill (H-5427A) to allow pharmacists to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to children aged 3 or older. The bill, introduced at the request of the state Department of Health, also would lower to 3 years old the minimum age at which children can receive their flu shots at the pharmacy.
“Years of experience have shown us that allowing people, including children, to receive routine vaccines at pharmacies is safe and increases the likelihood that they will get them,’’ Rep. Michelle McGraw, said in a statement announcing the House bill’s passage. A Democrat from Portsmouth, McGraw works as a consultant pharmacist. “Particularly given Rhode Island’s shortage of primary care physicians, we should ensure access to vaccines at pharmacies is protected in Rhode Island, so anyone and everyone can get their vaccines when they need them.’’
Rep. David J. Place, R-Burrillville, opposed the bill, saying during the House floor debate that he is concerned about someone other than a pediatrician, who knows the child’s medical history, administering the COVID-19 vaccine.
But Rep. Susan R. Donovan, D-Bristol, said that not all families have access to pediatricians.
“The main reason for this bill is not to reduce the role of primary care physicians,’’ Donovan said, “but because in many communities it is hard to gain access to a pediatrician or primary care physician.’’
Massachusetts has enacted state regulations to allow pharmacists to administer COVID-19 vaccines to children 5 years and older.
Federal regulations to allow pharmacists to administer COVID-19 vaccines were approved during the pandemic and extended during the Biden administration through 2029.
But the Trump administration has already reversed federal mandates and barred funding for COVID-19 vaccinations in schools.
Next month, an independent advisory committee to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is scheduled to discuss COVID-19 vaccinations. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, plays a key role in setting vaccine policy. But it remains to be seen whether the CDC advisory committee under the Trump administration will change its vaccination recommendations.
“Pharmacists give lots and lots of COVID vaccines to kids,’’ Jeffrey Bratberg, a professor at the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy, said in an interview. “Now there’s a lot of uncertainty. It’s even more important that we put it into state law.’’
The House bill now heads to the Senate, where a similar companion bill also has been introduced.
